Down
by MoniqueC
Summary: Following immediately after the 8x24 season finale, the hospital finds out about the downed flight, and the search ensues for their life threateningly injured friends and family. Who will make it out alive, and who will be lost forever.
1. Chapter 1

As Owen sat at the board table working on paperwork and listening to his messages, the last message from the director of the hospital at Boise sent chills running up his spine as he looked outside and then looked down at his watch.

They should have been there and back to Seattle by now, immediately Owen called back the woman to see if she had any more information.

"Dr. Hunt, I've been trying to reach you all day!" The woman said exasperated.

"Have you heard anything on where my team is?" He asked not caring to issue apologies, when there were bigger issues at hand.

"No, the airport said they never arrived, they think they went down, but they aren't getting a signal from the plane, they have rescue crews out searching now." She said in a sympathetic sound.

"…Keep me updated!" Owen barely was able to get out before he slammed the phone down and sent the whole device flying across the table.

Thinking back to just a few minutes ago Owen went running out the door of the board room, "Teddy!" He yelled up and down the halls, he lied, he was wrong, he did need support right now. His co-workers, his friends, his wife, were all on that plane.

A few moments later Teddy came bounding around a corner, "What is it?" She asked a look of concern etched across her face.

"The plane!" Was all that Owen could get out.

Teddy immediately rushed to his side and pulled his head up, her tone serious.

"Owen, what about the plane?" She asked not sure if she wanted to hear the response.

"It never arrived in Boise! They think it crashed!" It was in that moment that the usually stoically strong Owen broke down in tears, not caring who was watching.

As the chief wept in Dr. Altman's arms the rumor mill started spreading about the down flight. Some people were crying, others were searching the internet and TV for any indication as to the status of what was going on.

When Owen looked up and saw disheveled nurses and doctors everywhere on phones, in each others arms, he knew that he had made a mistake breaking down in front of everyone, he needed to be strong right now, he needed to issue a statement to everyone.

Tearing himself away from Teddy's arms Owen went over to the nurses station and asked a female nurse to page a list of people that he scribbled down before he and Teddy disappeared back into the board room to try and figure out the next step.

It had been well over an hour that Webber, Kempner, Avery, and Karev had been waiting for Yang and Grey at the restaurant. Not wanting the succulent duck to lose it's flavor they had begun their dinner, every now and then glancing back at the door to the restaurant.

"Those jerks, ditched us here." Alex said in a hushed tone after the chief had gotten up to answer a phone call from his wife's nursing home.

"I know right!" Avery agreed.

Just as Webber sat back down, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of their pagers going off simultaneously.

All of them looked down expecting a multi-car pile-up, or a massacre, but instead they read the message telling them that there was a mandatory staff meeting.

"Has Hunt gone off his rocker, who holds a staff meeting this late?" Alex griped.

Webber gave him a stern look, "If there is one thing that I have learned about late night staff meetings is that they always mean something significant, this dinner will have to be continued." The chief said standing up ushering the waiter over to their table so he could pay the bill before leaving.

Reluctantly they all followed Webber's car back to the hospital, this night was just getting better and better, they thought sarcastically.

When they arrived at the hospital however their moods had changed something was definitely wrong, everyone was somber and ashen, something had happened. Immediately, they all put on their game faces and joined the crowd, Webber leaving them in search of Hunt.

Bailey and Ben were still standing in the OR discussing their impending futures when their pagers went off, "What the…" Bailey started to ask as she looked down at the message calling for a mandatory staff meeting. "Well, I guess we better go." Ben said still with a dirty smirk on his face as he grabbed her hand and lead her through the OR doors.

Callie had fallen asleep in the bed in her sexy lingerie, when the sound of her pager pulled her from her dreams.

After reading the message she was somewhat dumbfounded, and then it dawned on her, maybe something had happened at the hospital and that's where Arizona was, dealing with trauma's or whatever the hell was going on.

Reluctantly, Callie hopped off of the bed, and began dressing herself, leaving the lingerie on underneath the dress that she decided to throw on just in case, Arizona happened to feel up to her welcome home after all, once she got to the hospital. Which Callie really hoped was the case.

Webber found Owen and Teddy in the boardroom, both of their eyes red rimmed and glued to the computer screen.

"Hunt?" Webber asked knowing instantly that something was terribly wrong.

"Richard…" Hunt said solemnly.

"What's going on? You have everyone in a tizzy out there." Webber asked stepping closer.

Owen not having the strength the speak, teddy spoke up for him, "The plane never arrived in Boise, they think it crashed." Teddy said automatically.

Richard had to grab onto the leather chair next to him to hold himself up when the shock hit.

Pulling the chair out and sliding into it, Richard let out a chortle before he began to speak again, "Do they know where it crashed? What's the status on the rescue?" Richard asked needing to know everything.

"Apparently, the tracking device isn't working, they can't pick up a signal, so right now they are blindly searching." Owen managed to get out before breaking down again.

All Richard could do was lean against the table, and put his head in his hands. This was getting ridiculous, hadn't everyone already been through enough. He had to ask himself at every turn now it seemed.

Richard pulled his head up from his hands, "We need to get Bailey, Callie, Alex, April, and Jackson, they need to hear this from you personally instead of from you making a general announcement." Webber said calmly.

Owen nodded his head in agreement, "I will go get them." Richard said slowly standing up and making his way out into the crowd, praying that they hadn't heard from anyone else what was going on.

Quickly spotting, Alex, Karev, and Kempner he gently placed a hand on their shoulders, "Go to the board room, no questions." He said before he turned his attention to looking for Callie and Bailey.

Callie he found standing off in a corner straining her head looking around in the crowd, no doubt looking for Arizona, and it broke his heart. "Torres." He called out to get her attention.

"Yeah Chief?" She said so bright and bubbly, he coughed for a moment to clear his throat, "Head to the board room." He ordered.

She looked at him perplexed for a moment and then agreed, not knowing quite what she was in store for.

Finally Webber looked for Bailey, he found her and Ben standing together seemingly in their own little world talking to each other.

"Bailey!" He said coming up behind her.

"Yeah Chief?" She said drawing her attention away from Ben, it was so funny Richard had been Chief for sometime now, but he often found that people couldn't help but call him by his old title.

"Why don't you and Ben come with be to the board room, we are going to have a more intimate discussion." He said taking a huge breath.

"Chief?" She asked knowing that something was up.

"Just come with me." He said parting the crowd as they made their way to the board room that now held everyone that he had intended be there.

"What's going on, late night staff meetings, secret board room meetings?" Callie asked kind of laughing at the situation, completely oblivious to the bomb that was about to be dropped.

"I…I called you all here…because…" Owen paused, he needed to collect himself if not for these people in this room, but for Christina too, hope was not lost and he needed to remember that.

"I have bad news. Our plane never made it to Boise…" He couldn't pause he needed to keep going despite the gasps of everyone in the room. "They think that it has crashed, search and rescue is out looking for them right now, but unfortunately the transmitter in the plane is not working which is making the search difficult. That's all I know for now. "

Taking a breath Owen sat down, he just sat there are question after shocked question flooded his mind.

Thankfully Richard intervened.

"That's really all anyone knows right now, we will keep you updated. I just want to say though, that no matter what religion you are you should pray right now for our family and friends safe return."

No one knew what to do they all just sat there in shock. Callie was sobbing uncontrollably, both Mark and Arizona were on that flight, if she lost them, she would lose everything.

Alex looked at Callie and felt a deep sense of guilt, if he hadn't chosen Hopkins then Arizona would still be here and he would be on that flight.

Bailey was tucked deeply into Bens arms, crying and thumping him in the chest, she was starting to believe in the nickname, 'Seattle Grace Mercy Death' this was unreal, it was some sort of nightmare.

Jackson and April just gripped each others hands tightly underneath the table. Jackson's mind secretly going back to thoughts of Lexie.

Then out of nowhere April spoke up, "Zola, I have to get to Zola, she can't be alone right now, her parents are missing…they might be…" She couldn't finish she just jumped out of the seat and bolted for daycare.

Callie wanted to do the same she wanted Sofia in her arms, but right now her legs were like cement she couldn't move.

They just sat there in stunned silence staring at the TV which Teddy had turned to the news, waiting for something, anything that would shred a ray of light on their situation.


	2. Chapter 2

As much as I wish I did, I do not own Grey's Anatomy or any of its characters. I hope you enjoy my story. I promise the next chapter is going to be about all of those involved with the plane crash, I just needed to added a few more outside details before I continued.

They had used the last match, it had gone out in a cruel wisp of wind.

There was no food.

There were only a few bottles of water.

The pilot was paralyzed.

Christina was still in shock with a formerly dislocated arm.

Arizona had a compound leg fracture, and what was most likely extensive internal bleeding.

Mark had a cardiac tapenade and was struggling to hold on.

Derek's hand had extensive nerve and tissue damage, with the high possibility of losing motility completely if not the whole hand.

Meredith had a head wound of unknown ramifications.

And Lexie…Lexie was dead.

No matter what happened, no matter when they were rescued, none of them were ever going to be the same, once again their lives were altered in a cruel and significant way.

Jerry sat alone in the pilots seat, contemplating the last time he had told his wife and kids that he loved them, did he remember to do it before he left for this flight?

Mark lay with his head in Arizona's lap, staring up at the stars, wanting nothing more than to succumb to the darkness and join Lexie, but running Arizona's words over and over again in his head, Sofia was waiting for him, Callie was waiting for him, and Arizona was waiting for him.

Christina and Meredith sat cuddled next to each other, Derek near Meredith's side staring that the charred blank spot which was once a tiny fire.

Carolyn Shephard had finally settled down from a long day of looking after her grandchildren and had just turned on the evening news, when her heart jumped a beat at the mention of Seattle Grace Hospital.

Immediately she turned up the volume as loud as it would go.

"For those of you that are just getting with us" The female news anchor began, somehow fate sensing that Carolyn needed the whole story.

"A private jet carrying 6 doctors from Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, and the pilot has crashed somewhere between Seattle, Washington and Boise, Idaho. The physicians on the plane were headed to Boise, Idaho to assist with a complicated case of Siamese twins. Their plane never made it to the destination. Search and Rescue continues on into the night, at this time there is still no sign of the wreckage, but we will keep you posted as we continue to learn more. Some of you may remember that the staff of Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital were the victims of a rampage shooting two years ago…"

At that Carolyn smashed her finger into the off button of the remote, feeling sick just thinking about the day that she had heard her Derek had been shot. Pulling her rosary from its place on the mantle Carolyn began silently praying as she reached for her cell phone and began dialing Derek's phone number….no answer. So she tried Meredith's phone number…no answer. Mark's phone number…no answer.

Carolyn didn't know for sure that Derek and or Meredith were on the plane, but her gut told her that he was, and in all of her years she knew not to distrust her gut.

In a rare fit of rage she threw her cell phone against the wall, instantly regretting it in case any one of her children in Seattle tried to call her.

Picking it up off of the floor and taking a deep breath, Carolyn dialed the only other person she could think of that may know how to get a hold of Derek or at least someone at Seattle Grace who could tell her if Derek was alright.

Addison Forbes Montgomery stood in her kitchen watching Jake hold Henry attempting to coddle him back to sleep when her cell phone dragged her from her thoughts. Rushing to the phone in hopes that it was Amelia ready to talk she was shocked to see Carolyn Shephards name pop up on the screen.

"Who is it?" Jake asked noting the look of concern on Addison's face.

Ignoring the question Addison answered, her stomach dropping in fear that Carolyn had heard about the baby, and was about to kill Addison for not telling her sooner what Amelia was going through.

"Hello?" She said tentatively.

"Addie, thank God someone on the West Coast is answering their phone!" Carolyn said exasperatedly.

"What's going on?" Addison asked concerned.

"Addie, have you heard from anyone in Seattle?" Carolyn asked figuring that she knew the answer but hoping anyway.

This caught Addison off guard, "No…why?" She asked slowly.

"Addison there's been a plane crash six doctors from Seattle Grace were on the plane, but dammit I can't get a hold of Derek, Meredith, or Mark, I need to know if they are ok Addie, I need to know if any of them were on that plane!" Carolyn was in tears as she spoke.

"Oh God!" Addison said in shock, Jake looked at her and mouthed "What?" Worried that it was something to do with Amelia.

Carolyn interrupted Addison's thoughts, "Is there anyone in Seattle that you can call to see what the hell is going on?" Carolyn asked impatiently.

"Yes, Yes! I will make some calls right now and get back to you! I promise I will call right back!" Addison said practically hanging up on Carolyn.

"What's going on?" Jake asked stepping closer to Addison.

"There's been a plane crash involving some doctors from Seattle Grace, Carolyn…my ex-husbands mother is trying to figure out if Derek, his wife, or our friend Mark were on the flight." Addison said frantically going through her contacts looking for the right person.

"Oh, Addison I'm so sorry!" Jake said putting a comforting hand on her back as she found the number she was looking for.

It felt like it rang for an eternity before the person finally picked up.

Richard Webber looked down at his phone dread once again filling him, it was Addison.

Bailey looked over at Webber and the worried look on his face.

"What is it?" She asked hoarsely.

"Addison." Richard said before answering the phone.

"Richard!" Addison said urgently.

"Addie…" He said

That was all Addison needed to know that the news was bad.

Not quite needing to ask the question she continued on, "Carolyn…Derek's mom called me. She can't get a hold of anyone." Addison said tears building up in her eyes.

Richard didn't say anything, he couldn't.

"Richard…who was on that plane?" She asked the fear building up inside of her.

"Addison, it's not good. Arizona Robbins, Lexie Grey, Christina Yang, Mark Sloan, Meredith and Derek were all on the plane, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you." His own tears sliding down his cheeks.

Addison dropped the phone in shock.

Quickly, Jake picked it up with Henry in his arms and handed it back to her, knowing that there must be more to say.

For a moment Addison gathered herself as she sank down to the floor.

"I have to call his mother…" She said trailing off.

"I'm sorry Addie as soon as we hear anything I will let you know." Richard said solemnly.

"I'm coming there." Addison said knowing that she needed to be there no matter what happened.

"Ok Addison, be careful." Richard said before hanging up, he just couldn't talk anymore. He couldn't.

When Addison hung up the phone she looked up at Jake with tears streaming down her face and a heavy heart.

"Addison, do you want me to come with you?" Jake asked not knowing much, but knowing that she was in a significant amount of pain.

"Uh…No…I…No please you need to stay here and take care of Amelia. If something has happened to Derek Carolyn will need to know that at least Amelia is in good hands." Addison said a million things running through her mind.

"Jake please don't get upset or jealous, but I have to tell Sam, we were all best friends back in New York, he needs to know." Addison said looking at him for any sign of anger.

"No of course, go, but first you should call Derek's mother back." Jake said helping Addison up off of the floor.

"Oh…right…" Addison said dreading making the call.

Carolyn Shephards cell phone didn't give more than half a ring, before she had answered it.

"Addison what did you find out?" She asked abruptly.

"Carolyn, you need to sit down." Addison said, not sure how she could deliver such news to such a wonderful woman.

Carolyn squeezed her eyes shut as she fell into the chair nearest her, rosary still in hand.

"Who was on the plane Addison?" Carolyn asked ripping off the bandage.

"Derek, Meredith, Mark, and Meredith's sister along with two other doctors were on that plane." Addison said letting a fit of sobs take her over.

Carolyn was a navy nurse she was direct and to the point. "Any word on their condition?" She needed to know.

"No…nothing so far. Carolyn I'm going to Seattle, I need to be there for them when they return, because I know them they are all strong they are going to return." Addison said knowing that she needed to give this woman comfort and hope.

"I'm coming too Addison, I'm going to call the sisters, you tell Amelia to come and we'll be there, I would run if it would get me there faster." Carolyn was somewhat frantic now, and then it hit her. Addison panicked for a moment at the mention of Amelia, but was distracted when Carolyn brought something up totally out of left field.

"Oh God Addison…they have a daughter at home, what about that poor baby!" Suddenly Carolyn's resolve broke and she began wailing.

"Wait they what? When did they have a baby?" Addison asked in total confusion.

"Months ago, they adopted a little girl from Africa, Zola. If you get there before I do, which I'm sure you will go to that little girl and hug her and soothe her and tell her that her parents are going to come home, please do that for me Addison." Carolyn begged. She wasn't being quite rational right now, but her life had just been flipped upside down yet again, and she didn't know if her heart could take much more.

Addison agreed and hung up the phone running upstairs to pack a few things, while Jake reserved the soonest flight for her.

As Addison ran down the stairs, Jake handed her the boarding pass and leaned in kissing her on the forehead.

"It's going to be ok." He tried to reassure her.

Just as Addison was getting ready to run out the door, she remembered something. "Sam! I forgot to tell Sam!" She said urgently.

"Don't worry Addison I can tell him, I will take care of it." Jake offered.

Addison ran back to him and planted a kiss on his and Henrys cheeks. "Thank You!" She said as she rushed back out the door.

They only had two bottles of water left.

There was no food.

The pilot was paralyzed and becoming frantic.

Christina was still in shock her mind racing in all the wrong directions, as she ran around the wreckage, without clear purpose.

Arizona had a compound leg fracture, and was beginning to fade as the blood she coughed up got darker and more frequent.

Mark had a cardiac tapenade and was barely holding on floating in and out of consciousness.

Derek's hand had extensive nerve and tissue damage, with the high possibility of losing motility completely if not the whole hand. His hand was beginning to go numb.

Meredith had a head wound of unknown ramifications that was going to soon impose impending doom.

And Lexie…Lexie was dead.


	3. Chapter 3

As much as I wish I did…I do not own Grey's Anatomy or any of its characters, sorry it took so long to update hopefully you enjoy. Next chapter will be longer and I will publish it quicker. Please review.

Owen stood in the room with the vents…weeping into their bursts of air.

Richard sat in the conference room, staring blankly at the phone, waiting desperately for an answer.

Miranda and Ben lay together in the apartment, Ben holding her tightly as she shuttered in fear for her family.

April and Jackson sat upstairs in Aprils room in complete silence.

Alex watched a familiar face in front of him get to know Zola, while his mind wandered thinking about how he was supposed to be on that flight.

Addison sat on the floor playing with Zola and Sofia, praying that for everyone's sake that they would all come back alive.

Callie was on Meredith's couch watching Addison with the girls, she couldn't be alone right now, she may have gone from having three parents for Sofia to just one and right now she couldn't handle that as tears slipped down her cheeks.

Thatcher sat on the swing at Meredith's house…the urge to go have a drink right now was overwhelming, but he wasn't going to do that…he owed that to his girls.

Carolyn Shepherd pulled up to the house that Addison had given her the address to and took a deep breath before she headed up to the man sitting on the bench.

It had been over 24 hours, and it seemed as though it were getting colder by the minute.

"Where the hell did you crash us the arctic?" Cristina rambled at the pilot of the plane, running around looking for more suitcases which would contain more clothes to keep them warm.

"Cristina…calm down it's not his fault. Come sit by me, and we will keep each other warm." Meredith tried to soothe.

Cristina looked at Meredith with doe eyes, "No I'm just going to look over here to see if there is anything else to keep warm with." Cristina said absently.

Meredith could clearly tell that Cristina was in some sort of shock, she needed a purpose to keep her mind off of things, but running off into the woods alone was not something that Meredith was going to condone.

"How about you sit here and keep Derek warm and I will go look to see if there is anything out there of use." Meredith suggested.

Cristina whipped around and gave Meredith a strange look, but then her eyes drifted to Derek's shivering form resting on the ground and Cristina nodded in agreement.

Meredith slid over to Derek and gave him a quick kiss, "I will be right back. I love you." She said as she slowly stood up on wobbly legs. "mmmhmmm" Was the sleepy response that Meredith got back before her place was taken by Cristina.

Meredith grabbed her make shift walking stick and headed off in the direction of more wreckage.

Meredith had to use all of her willpower not to go and see her sister right now, it was unfair to leave her there, trapped under the plane…forgotten…but she couldn't go back there, she couldn't break down because if she did…she would lose it…and no one back at the plane could afford for her to lose it right now, they all needed her.

So attempting to turn off her brain Meredith focused on suitcases that could contain more articles of clothing for warmth.

As Meredith was rifling through a duffel bag, she suddenly got the urge to violently wretch, when she was done a few minutes later, beads of sweat running down her brow, Meredith noticed something about her vomit…it was a deep red…nearly black color.

"Shit…Shit…Shit!" She said knowing exactly what that meant…this couldn't be happening, she thought she was doing fine before.

This had to be kept a secret…so moving on with her duties Meredith continued gathering items…"Please let someone rescue us soon! We can't all die out here!" Meredith begged to no one in particular.

When Meredith returned to the site, everyone's eyes averted in her direction, each one hoping that she had found something of use to them.

Meredith began passing out more articles of clothing, and a few blankets that she had found after desperately searching.

No one really said anything they just accepted the "gifts" and went back to their thoughts.

"We got lucky!" Meredith spoke up…reaching in her pocket and pulling some items out with shiny packaging…"I don't know who these belonged to, but whoever packed the protein bars is a life saver!" Meredith said holding out four power bars hoping that they would boost morale.

Everyone looked at the power bars longingly.

Then out of nowhere Mark spoke up…"Lexie." Was all he said barely above a whisper.

Arizona looked down at him glossy eyed. "What Mark?" She asked sadly.

"Lexie…she packed them for me…she always used to pack those for me." He said sadly and breathlessly.

"Well…Lexie may have just saved our lives." Meredith said with tears silently spilling down her face.

Derek who was now much more alert, looked at Meredith with sad eyes…he was terrified of what this was going to do to his Meredith, losing Lexie was going to break her, and he didn't know if she was going to ever get her back.

Meredith opened one of the power bars, putting the others back in her pocket and broke it up into 5 pieces, and passed each piece out.

Everyone nibbled on their power bars, trying to savor every last bite…it was Cristina who noticed that Meredith was not eating a piece however.

"Why aren't you eating?" Cristina demanded skeptically sizing up Meredith.

"I'm not hungry right now… I will wait until I am really hungry to eat." Meredith said trying to keep Cristina from getting too suspicious.

Cristina didn't quite buy it but she let it go for the time being keeping a closer eye on Meredith.

It was a few hours later as they all sat silently staring up at the frigid blue sky each of them wondering their fates and the fates of their loved ones that a sound that was music to their ears could be heard off in the distance.

"HELLO! HELLO! IS ANYONE OUT THERE?" There were dozens of voices calling out in the distance…it must be search and rescue.

Cristina was the first to begin screaming…"WE'RE HERE! WE'RE HERE!" She yelled jumping up and down

Meredith was the next to begin screaming… "HELP! PLEASE HELP!" She called out.

Everyone else began yelling as well, this could be their salvation…and then soon after they heard something that was magical…"HANG ON WE'RE COMING!" They could hear the rescue workers calling at them, and then they could hear the sound of dozens of feet running through the forest coming towards them.

Meredith and Cristina embraced each other in a hug of joy! They were being rescued…they were really being rescued!

When the rescue workers arrived on the scene, everyone had tears in their eyes, the victims of the plane crash were alive, they didn't just come upon a slew of lifeless bodies.

Meredith went up to the lead rescue worker…"What is your method for getting everyone out of here?" She asked taking charge.

"We have stretchers, we actually are only a few miles from an access road, there we have ambulances and a couple of choppers waiting to take you to the hospital." The man responded.

"Good…Those two over there need to be taken care of ASAP…the man Dr. Mark Sloan had a cardiac tamponed and is in critical condition. Dr. Arizona Robbins the woman sitting with him has a compound fracture in here leg, and if my suspicions are correct internal bleeding." Arizona was surprised to hear that Meredith had caught on to her secret.

Meredith continued on… "The pilot of the plane is paralyzed so please watch his spine as you move him. Dr. Derek Shepherd over there has a deep laceration to the hand and forearm, and multiple crush fractures…Dr. Cristina Yang there is in serious shock…and Dr. Lexie Grey is trapped under the rear portion of the plane a little ways up there…she is…she is dead." Meredith choked out.

Meredith still continued on…"Everyone is at risk for concussions and internal bleeding so please make sure that the hospital does a full work-up." Meredith added. Looking around as rescue members started attending to her family.

"Wow that is a huge help! Thank You!" The rescue worker said as he began barking orders on moving the victims.

Meredith looked around at the sight in front of her in disbelief, they were really being rescued…well most of them were being rescued.

"Meredith!" Derek called out as he was lifted up on the stretcher and they started to leave with him.

Meredith ran over to Derek's side. "I'm going to wait until they get Lexie out I owe that to my sister…I love you Derek! I will see you at the hospital soon." Meredith assured him placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Meredith I don't know if you should see her…" Derek trailed off looking up at her with his deep blue eyes.

"Derek I have to." Meredith said "Don't worry I promise I will be fine, I just can't leave without her." Derek looked into Meredith's eyes and nodded.

"See you at the hospital…I love you." Derek said as they began exiting with him.

"See you at the hospital…I love you too!" Meredith called after Derek as she leaned on her walking stick and made her way back to where her sister was.

The lead rescue worker whom Meredith had talked to earlier had overheard everything, he came up behind Meredith and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You were incredibly strong, I'm sorry that this happened to you…and your sister." He said not trying to pry but knowing that this woman would need some sort of comfort.

"Thank You." Meredith said meekly as they continued on towards where Lexie was.

This was going to be impossible, Meredith thought, her mind scattered.

They reached Lexie just as a large number of the rescue team were able to lift up the plane just enough to get Lexie out…as Meredith stared at her mutilated and lifeless form, the world closed in on her and in a moments time she was unconscious in a heap on the ground, a combination of psychological trauma and serious injuries catching up with her.

"I need help over here!" The lead rescuer called as he knelt down next to Meredith feeling for a pulse…

It was breaking news…the doctors of Seattle Grace Mercy West had been rescued and were being transported to the hospital immediately, some in critical condition, some in serious condition, and at least one confirmed dead.

Owen sat watching the news with Richard across the table from him, how do you wish that the person you love most isn't the one that's dead, when it means that someone else, another member of your family _is _dead.

Richard still stared at the phone willing it to ring soon, they had been found, and most of them alive…he needed to know more…he needed to get to them.

Miranda's phone rang and she and Ben both jumped. It was Hunt, he gave her a brief update and hung up. Immediately, she and Ben rushed to the living room turning on the news, their eyes glued to the headlines.

April and Jackson sat downstairs with a slew of familiar and unfamiliar faces watching the news break, their hands clenched together.

Alex was ringing his hands as he sat crunched between people on the couch watching the news…he kept stealing glances at Callie and Sofia the guilt of not being on that plane was becoming overpowering.

Addison sat her arms wrapped around Carolyn as they read the words on the screen over and over again, fearing the worst…_At least one dead…_

Callie sat next to Alex and Addison on the couch, Sofia cradled in her arms, "Please let mommy and daddy come home…" she whispered quietly staring down at her sleeping baby.

Thatcher sat on a chair in the living room with everyone else watching the news, praying that his girls were alive…he couldn't lose either one of them, especially not after losing Susan. Was it wrong to pray that it was someone else…he couldn't stop fidgeting…he couldn't stop thinking.

Carolyn sat with Zola in her arms…this was the first time that she had met her little granddaughter and _this…this _is what it took to get her here, she was overwhelmed with guilt and fear as Addison held onto her while she held onto this darling girl, rosary in her other hand, praying for the safe return of her son and daughter in law…they had been found…that she could be thankful for…now it was just the waiting game to see if they had survived. It was terrifying!


	4. Chapter 4

As much as I wish I did…I do not own Grey's Anatomy or any of its characters, sorry it took so long to update hopefully you enjoy. This is kind of an explanation chapter, next chapter will have quite a bit more excitement. I am working on it as we speak so hopefully I will have it posted by Monday.

Meredith lay motionless on the ground as the rescue worker, Calvin searched for what turned out to be an extremely weak pulse.

"Have we got any more choppers?" He radioed in breathlessly.

A crackling voice responded over the radio, "No last one went out about ten minutes ago, and next ambulance is about ½ an hour away…over." The voice concluded.

"Dammit!" Calvin cursed as he looked down at Dr. Grey's still form.

"Whose got a car?" He demanded of the rescue workers buzzing around.

A young kid with tattoo's up and down his arms called out, "I do!" He yelled running over to Calvin.

"Great! We need to get her to Walla Walla General Hospital ASAP! Can you do that?" He questioned scooping Meredith up into his broad arms.

Eager to help, and with a devilish grin the young man nodded his head and together they began running through the forest to his Camaro parked on the side of the dirt road.

Calvin loaded Meredith in the back seat of the car and climbed in after her as the young man, Steve let his engine start with a roar and tore through the dirt roads causing a cloud of dust to form behind them.

"Go as fast as you can!" Calvin ordered as he held onto Meredith's hand urging her to stay with them and hold on just a little bit longer. She was a friend, a wife, a mother, and a daughter, and from what he overheard being that the girl who was killed under the plane was her sister he wasn't going to let her parents lose two children in this horrific accident…not on his watch.

So he did the only thing he could do right now, pleaded with her subconscious.

Mark was the first to arrive at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, Washington, he was immediately assessed and rushed in for a CT where it was discovered that there was a tear in his left ventricle and four ribs were broken, along with a severe concussion. Luckily for Mark, Sacred Heart had an excellent cardiothoracic team and he was immediately rushed to surgery.

Webber still stared at the phone desperately, never failing in his resolve to will it to ring, but when it did finally ring he was caught completely by surprise and jumped from his seat, Owen however was the first to pick it up.

"This is Hunt." He answered desperate for answers.

"This is Dr. Williams at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, Washington the first victim from the plane crash has arrived, a doctor…Mark Sloan." The woman began.

Owen's heart skipped a beat, Richard was motioning for Owen to put the phone on speaker and so he did.

"What's his status?" Owen asked professionally.

"He's in surgery now to repair a minor tear in his left ventricle, he also has several broken ribs, and a severe concussion." The woman concluded.

"Has anyone else arrived yet?" Hunt asked desperately.

"No, but we have three more choppers incoming, I will personally call you after we have assessed their injuries." Dr. Williams said sympathetically, knowing that if these were her surgeons she would be just as desperate for information.

"Thank you I appreciate that." Owen said before hanging up.

"Alright, that's good news so far Hunt…good news is good news!" He said placing a reassuring hand on Hunts shoulder.

"We need to call Callie." Owen said pulling out his cell phone number looking for Callie's number.

When Callie's phone rang she looked down at it in terror, Sofia was fast asleep in her arms and she was terrified to hear the news on the other end of that line.

Instinctively, Alex reached out and grabbed Callie's phone answering it. Everyone stared at him doe eyed.

"Hello?" He said tentatively.

"Karev? Is this Callie's phone?" Owen asked somewhat confused.

"Yeah, Sofia is asleep in her arms so I grabbed it, do you have an update?" He asked impatiently.

"Yes…yes…Sloan is the first to arrive from the crash scene, he's in surgery right now, he has a small tear in his ventricle accompanied by a few broken ribs and a concussion, barring any complications the Doctor at Sacred Heart thinks he should be fine." Owen concluded.

Alex let out a sigh of relief. Everyone stared at him hungry for information.

"Is there any news on the others yet?" Alex asked remembering everyone else.

"No not yet, but Dr. Williams said she would update me after each patient arrives." Owen said wanting nothing more than to sprout wings and fly to Spokane so he wouldn't have to rely on someone else to find out if his wife and his family were alright.

"Should we come down there, pretty much everyone is here at Mere's house." Alex said looking around at the large crowd in the living room.

Owen thought for a moment, "No…no just stay where you are, if you're all together I will keep you updated as Dr. Williams updates me." Owen finished.

"Thanks." Karev said as he hung up.

"Karev, what is it?" Callie asked tears threatening to stream down her face.

"The first chopper arrived at Sacred Heart in Spokane, it had Mark on it, he's in surgery now, but he should be fine."

"Thank God!" Callie cried out, hugging onto Sofia.

Addison, Jackson, and Carolyn let out a joint sigh of relief, one down five more to go.

The next to arrive at Sacred Heart was Arizona. Her vitals had plummeted on the two hour med flight to Spokane, they had to bring her back twice.

An orthopedic surgeon was immediately at her side, "Looks like this compound fracture is severely infected, I need to get in there as soon as possible." Dr. Natiri said assessing the wound.

"We need to get her in for a CT first. There is a possibility for internal bleeding." Dr. Williams reminded the man before they stabilized Arizona and rushed her down to CT.

"Look at that a pretty severe splenic rupture." Dr. Williams pointed out once the images appeared. "Fairly mild concussion compared to Dr. Sloan though, she might be lucky." Dr. Williams said.

"Ok let's get her in OR 3 as soon as possible and call Dr. Francis from General to come down and do the Splenic repair." Dr. Williams ordered before heading to the phone to make her second call of the day to Seattle Grace.

She was happy to be giving them good news based on a plane crash rather than no news at all.

As soon as the conference room phone began buzzing Owen pounced on it, putting the caller on speaker phone.

"Hunt." He answered eagerly.

"Hello Dr. Hunt, it's Dr. Williams again." She said calmly knowing that he must be going through hell right now.

"What have you got?" Owen asked getting right to the point.

"Dr. Arizona Robbins is here and being prepped for surgery as we speak." Dr. Williams responded.

After further explaining Arizona's condition and informing Owen that another chopper was going to be landing in a few minutes, they hung up, and Owen pulled out his phone to call Callie once again.

Everyone at the house was becoming restless, now that they were being updated news couldn't come fast enough as they all sat in limbo.

So when Callie's phone rang for a second time that day everyone was a buzz, this time however Callie was quick to pick up the phone as Sofia was on the floor playing with Zola.

"Hello?" She answered hurriedly.

"Torres it's Hunt." He said regardless of the fact that she probably knew it was him.

"Yes?" She said yearning for news on her wife.

"Robbins is at Sacred Heart with Sloan, they have just taken her into surgery, apparently she has a severe splenic tear, and a compound fracture in her leg, along with a mild concussion." Owen said neglecting to tell her that Arizona needed to be resuscitated in the field. Right now everyone needed good news if they were going to keep their heads above the water.

"Thank God!" Callie said falling back on the couch with a huge sigh of relief.

"I'm still waiting for news on the others but I will call as soon as I hear anything else." Owen said as he sat in the chair rubbing his brow, while Webber went down to the cafeteria to retrieve what must have been the hundredth cup of coffee.

"Thank You!" Callie said appreciatively as she hung up.

When she had set her phone down everyone stared at Callie longingly.

"Arizona is in surgery right now at Sacred Heart. Hunt is going to call when he knows more." She said scooping up her precious daughter and placing a kiss on her forehead. She wasn't going to be left a widow and a single parent after all.

The third chopper to arrive was that of Jerry the pilot, while he was in critical condition, most likely paralyzed, and in need of serious care, Dr. Williams doubted that Dr. Hunt would need to hear a status update on him, it would be cruel to call and make him think that it was news about one of their own.

Cristina had arrived at Walla Walla General Hospital without incident, she was essentially silent throughout the entire trip which was disconcerting to the paramedics assigned to treat her.

A Dr. James Shaw greeted them with a whole slew of staff at the door, hearing that they were receiving the victim of that plane crash carrying all of the doctors.

He was surprised at the state of his patient however, she looked virtually unscathed aside from some cuts and bruises and her arm being in a make-shift sling.

"Dr. Cristina Yang…she was involved in the plane crash, dislocated her shoulder, another doctor on site suggested that you perform a CT to rule out concussion or internal bleeding, however she is a very severe state of shock." The paramedics that unloaded her informed Dr. Shaw before closing up their ambulance doors.

"Ok, great we've got her from here." Dr. Shaw said as he and his staff started rolling Dr. Yang into their modest hospital.

Following the CT internal injuries were ruled out aside from a moderate concussion. Just to be safe however Dr. Shaw paged Dr. Morrison from psych to evaluate Dr. Yang who hadn't said a word since coming into the hospital.

When Dr. Morrison had finished with Dr. Yang he came out to speak with Dr. Shaw. "It's just trauma from the accident, she said something about Seattle Grace Mercy Death, if I'm correct I think she is referencing the shooting from Seattle Grace a while back and maybe their bad luck. She did mention that she wanted Owen…apparently that's the only person she will speak with, I believe that's her husband." Dr. Morrison concluded as he finished writing some notes in Cristina's chart

"I will call Dr. Richard Webber the former chief at Seattle Grace to find out if he knows anything." Dr. Shaw said retreating to his office.

When Richards cell phone rang it startled him awake as he pulled his head up off of the board table and yanked the phone out of his pocket.

By this time Miranda and Ben had joined Hunt and Webber in the board room wanting to be kept in the loop, so as Richard answered the phone everyone just stared in silence.

"Richard Webber." He answered the unfamiliar number.

"Richard it's James Shaw down at Walla Walla General." James said casually knowing Dr. Webber for well over twenty years now.

"James!" Richard said surprised.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you know a Dr. Cristina Yang?" James asked flipping through Cristina's new chart.

" Yes! Yes! She's one of ours do you have her there?" Richard asked eagerly motioning for Owen to come closer.

"We do, she is doing well actually considering she was just in a plane crash. She had a dislocated shoulder and some bruising and abrasions along with a moderate concussion, but other than that, she should be fine."

"That's excellent news!" Richard said unable to contain his grin.

"I was calling though because she is in pretty severe shock and keeps insisting on speaking with Owen, do you know who that is?" James asked hoping that Richard would have the answer.

"Yes! He's the Chief here and Cristina's wife." Richard responded.

Owen wanted nothing more than to snatch that cell phone away from Richard and find out what the hell was happening but he had to keep his composure just a little bit longer.

"In fact he is standing right next to me, let me hand the phone over." Richard said handing the phone to Owen.

Hunt spoke with Dr. Shaw for a few minutes before hanging up.

"Would somebody tell us what is going on?" Bailey demanded hating to be out of the loop.

Owen burst from the room abruptly, ignoring Bailey.

Richard watched him, but decided that he needed a moment to just process what was going on.

"Cristina is at a hospital in Walla Walla, she's banged up a little and in a severe state of shock, but other than that she is good." Richard said letting out a sigh of relief.

"Good." Bailey said matter of fact. Now they just needed to wait for word on Shepherd and the Grey girls.

Richard looked up at the clock on the wall, and then looked back at Bailey and Ben. "It's extremely late, I think we should go get some food and bring it back to Meredith's house, feed everyone and wait for the rest of the news together. There's no sense in us sitting in this damn board room anymore." Richard said starting to despise this room.

"I think that sounds like a good idea." Ben chimed in helping Miranda up.

"I'll go get Hunt and meet you in the parking lot." Webber said knowing just where to find Owen.

Bailey and Ben agreed, stretching their sore limbs and made their way out to the car.

On his way to get Hunt, Richard asked Patricia to forward any calls regarding the crash to his cell phone. She agreed with sad eyes, and Richard went to seek out Owen.

The final chopper to arrive carried an idol of Dr. Williams, Dr. Derek Shepherd.

When Dr. Shepherd arrived he was fully alert. As they examined and performed scans of his hand there was significant nerve damage accompanied by an incredible number of broken bones in the hand. Following a CT they discovered no internal bleeding, however he too had a moderate concussion.

"We need to get your hand into surgery right away." Dr. Williams told Derek as he argued back with her.

"I need to wait for my wife to get here, I need to see that she is ok first." Derek insisted, determined to wait for Meredith.

"Dr. Shepherd your wife is most likely on her way to Walla Walla General hospital, they used up all of the choppers to get the four of you hear, waiting hours to operate on your hand will just increase your odds of needing amputation." Dr. Williams pleaded, not willing to be the one responsible for the legendary Dr. Derek Shepherd never operating again.

Derek looked down at his mangled hand and a distant memory came to mind,

_He was sitting on the deck to his trailer, and Meredith had just shown up after a big fight. _

"_Would you still love me if I wasn't a surgeon?" He asked with his scruffy face and sad eyes._

_She had looked at him with a sigh, and simply responded, "No" He had immediately been taken aback by this. _

"_No…Because Izzie has skin cancer that spread to her brain, and you're one of about twenty people in the world who can fix it, and I don't know if I could respect somebody who could walk away from a gift like that…." _

"Dr. Shepherd?" Dr. Williams asked as Derek gazed unwaveringly at his hand. "Ok, I will do it." He said almost inaudibly. Meredith would never forgive him if she knew that he had the chance to save his hand and he didn't take it.

"My wife is Dr. Meredith Grey, please find out everything you can about her condition, so that when I wake up I know that my wife is alright." Derek said a tear running down his cheek.

Dr. Williams nodded understandingly, and then called in the staff to prep him for surgery.

Once Dr. Shepherd's surgery was successfully underway Dr. Williams went to go and call Dr. Hunt once again, it had been hours since her last call, and she couldn't imagine how agonizing that must be.

At this point Meredith's house had quite the crowd, after a quick stop at Costco there was plenty of food all around the house for everyone to munch on and inadvertently suppress their stress.

While they had heard about some of their friends and family, there were still a good number of them that they had yet to hear anything from.

Cristina would be the first arriving in Seattle It wasn't ten minutes after talking with Dr. Shaw that Owen ordered her to be sedated and transported via a small private plane to Seattle, there was no use in her staying in Walla Walla when she should be here, being consoled and nurtured by her husband regardless of what they had been through in these past few months.

When Richards phone rang the entire house became silent, it was the first call they had gotten in a couple of hours, and everyone was extremely anxious as Richard answered.

"Richard Webber." He answered.

Dr. Williams was confused on the other line. "This is Dr. Claudia Williams I'm sorry I thought I was calling Dr. Hunt." She said unsure of what had happened.

"Just one moment Dr. Williams he is right here." Richard said handing the phone over to Owen.

Everyone stared at him like a hawk.

"Dr. Hunt, I apologize that I wasn't able to contact you sooner." She said before continuing on.

"I understand as long as you are taking care of our team." He said sounding a fraction better than the last time she had talked to him.

" The last from your team that was sent here via Med Flight was Dr. Derek Shepherd, he is in surgery as we speak, let me tell you he is somewhat stubborn." Dr. Williams said with a little snort, but then returning to her professional demeanor continued on.

"Dr. Shepherd essentially has a shattered hand along with significant nerve damage, he is in surgery right now with our best, they are cautiously optimistic that they may be able to save his hand. Aside from that he has a concussion, but nothing serious." She finished.

"Thank you so much I will relay that information to his family. How are Dr. Sloan and Dr. Robbins?" Owen asked after being stared down by Callie and Alex.

"Dr. Sloan is in recovery right now and doing really well, and Dr. Robbins is still in surgery, but after checking up on her not long ago everything seems to be going fine." Claudia added.

"Thank you Dr. Williams, are you expecting any more of our staff at your hospital?" He asked now hoping for news about Meredith or Lexie.

"At this time we haven't heard word on anyone else, but that isn't to say that they aren't coming." She said hoping to keep on the optimistic side.

"Thank You. Keep me updated." Owen said before hanging up.

"What's going on?" Carolyn asked clutching her rosary.

"They have Derek, he is in surgery right now, apparently his hand was badly damaged, but other than that no significant injuries. " Owen paused before continuing on.

"Oh Thank You!" Carolyn said falling to her knees with Addison immediately by her side.

Owen then turned to Callie and Alex, "Sloan is in recovery and Arizona is still in surgery, but so far they are both doing well." Owen said happily. Everyone was beginning to celebrate at the joyous news that their friends and family and survived this horrific accident.

It was then that a timid voice spoke up, "What…what about Lexie and Meredith?" Thatcher asked from the doorway to the kitchen. Everyone quieted down.

Owen turned around to look at Thatcher, just as everyone returned their gazes to Owen, "No word on them yet, but that doesn't mean bad news." Owen said trying to be reassuring.

Thatcher didn't say anything, he just threw open the screen door and went to sit on the swinging chair outside the window, his mind racing and his fingers fumbling with a handkerchief ringing it in circles.

By the time James got Meredith to Walla Walla General Hospital she had already been awake for some time, and argued with Calvin that her loss of consciousness was due to the stress of losing her sister.

She had too many people to worry about right now she couldn't be stuck in the middle of nowhere with people worried about her.

"Either way you need to get checked out." Calvin tried to argue.

Just as they were pulling up to the hospital, Meredith saw Cristina being loaded out on a stretcher ready to put her in an ambulance.

Without thinking, Meredith jumped out of the car and rushed to Cristina's side.

"What's the matter with her?" She asked the doctor overseeing the process, Cristina seemed so out of it, and Meredith was terrified.

"Just some serious shock, we sedated her and are getting ready to send her to the airport and transport her to Seattle." The doctor with round rimmed glasses responded taking in Meredith's disheveled appearance.

Calvin came up behind Meredith, "She is one of the plane crash victims." He informed the doctor.

"We need to get you checked out then." Dr. Shaw said motioning for a nurse to bring out another stretcher.

Ignoring the comment, Meredith looked up at Dr. Shaw, "Are the other patients from the crash here?" She asked straining her head to look inside the small hospital.

Dr. Shaw looked at her with sympathetic eyes, "No…everyone else was sent to Sacred Heart in Spokane." He informed her.

"But Cristina is going to Seattle?" She asked confused, obviously she wasn't completely with it yet.

Dr. Shaw knew that he needed to be patient with this woman she had just suffered a serious trauma.

"Yes, she has been asking for her husband, Owen non-stop, so he arranged to transport her back to Seattle so he could be with her." Dr. Shaw said stepping closer to the woman in an attempt to further asses her injuries.

"Oh…Ok." She said losing her train of thought.

So after giving Cristina a gentle kiss on the forehead and wishing her sleeping form a safe journey back to her "Person" Meredith turned back around to Dr. Shaw.

"I want to go to Spokane." She said matter of fact.

"I really would insist that you let us check you out first." Dr. Shaw said clearing his throat.

"No please, I need to get to Spokane, I need to be with my husband." Meredith said tears streaming down her face now, her resolve was starting to break, she didn't have the strength to be strong anymore, she needed Derek, and Derek would need her.

Calvin turned to Meredith now intervening, "Meredith I overheard you, you promised you would see Derek at the hospital, and you promised him you would be fine. James and I will personally take you to Spokane if we have to, in order to help you fulfill that promise, but before we can do that you need to be checked out." Calvin said motioning for the doctor to bring the gurney over.

Meredith looked up at this complete stranger and gave a small smile, "Ok." She said knowing that he was completely right.

There had been so many times that Meredith had sacrificed herself, the bomb, the ferry, the shooter, and if she did it again, Derek would never forgive her, so for now he would have to wait for her, before she could see him at the hospital.

So giving the last ounce of fight she had left, Meredith sat down on the stretcher with the assistance of Calvin and Dr. Shaw and was wheeled into the hospital watching the blaring lights of the ambulance carrying Cristina fade off into the distance.

Mark lay in recovery, unconscious but still aware down to his soul that he had lost the love of his life, the words, "Meant to Be" echoing throughout his subconscious.

Arizona was just being closed up from surgery, a new titanium rod now securely fashioned in her leg and her spleen repaired.

Derek was still in surgery, it was long and grueling, but no one in the OR planned on giving up on the infamous Derek Shepherds miracle working hand.

Cristina had just arrived at SeaTac where Owen had arranged to have her airlifted to Seattle Grace, she was still sedated, but that didn't stop the nightmares of the plane crash from haunting her dreams.

Meredith was in a CT machine, where it would turn out that her injuries were quite substantial along with something quite surprising, given all that had happened.

Lexie's body had been transported to Walla Walla General Hospital and lay in the morgue, Dr. Shaw preparing to call Dr. Webber and inform him of Meredith's status, and what turned out to be her sisters death.

Owen stood anxiously on the roof of Seattle Grace with Richard, Miranda, and Ben standing by his side, watching the Seattle skyline for any sign of a helicopter.

Carolyn worked busily in the kitchen preparing breakfast for everyone knowing that they would all have another long day, her mind frequently drifting to her son and then to Meredith, they still hadn't heard anything about Meredith or Lexie, and knot's were forming in her stomach at the fear of something happening to her dear son's wife.

Addison sat at the kitchen table feeding Zola in her high chair, reveling in their beautiful little girl, and missing her son Henry.

Next to Addison sat Callie feeding Sofia, seriously contemplating flying to Spokane on the earliest possible plane. It was only an hour away on Horizon Air, she wanted nothing more than to be by the sides of Arizona and Mark.

April and Jackson were tucked away in April's room, Jackson just holding April tightly, as they let the silence envelop them.

Alex paced through the house, glancing every now and then at Callie and Sofia, and then over at Zola, a curse could be heard under his breath every minute or so, "You've got to be freakin kidding me!" He yelled through the house before he stormed out, catching everyone off guard.

Thatcher still sat on that darn swinging chair, his hands still fiddling, his prayers never ending as he strained his ears to hear if the phone would ring any minute with news of his girls…"They'll be fine." He said to himself watching Alex storm off. "I'm sure they'll be fine…" He couldn't help but repeating that phrase over and over again in anticipation.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own Grey's Anatomy or any of its characters, but I wish that I did. Please don't hate me for this chapter, I didn't want to be predictable so I went another route. I have a pretty clear picture of where I'm going from here, so I promise it's not going to be all grim. Please review and let me know what you think.

As Meredith was pulled from CT the grim look on Dr. Shaw's face told Meredith that he was not about to tell her that she was perfectly fine and able to head to Spokane to be by her husband's side.

"Dr. Grey….first off in discussing your injuries from the plane crash your liver has a severe laceration along with a perforated bowel that needs immediate surgery, you also have a very serious concussion that will need very close monitoring." Dr. Shaw paused for a moment.

"Not bad for having just been in a plane crash." Meredith said trying to ease the tension a little, but she had a feeling that there was something this Dr. Shaw wasn't telling her.

"Meredith, during the CT we noticed some abnormalities on your colon, I just have to say that I'm concerned that they could be malignant." Dr. Shaw concluded. This woman had just been through a plane crash and yet he was informing her of the very distinct possibility that she had cancer.

Meredith looked at him stunned. "You've got to be kidding." She said tears coming to her eyes.

"We need to prep you for surgery immediately to repair the damage from the crash, but I would like to do a biopsy of the adhesions, would you consent to that?" He asked grimly.

Almost inaudibly Meredith spoke up… "Yes…yes of course." Meredith said on one hand wishing that Derek were by her side through this and on the other glad that he wasn't because he had his own healing to do.

"Alright then, I'm going to call Dr. Webber in Seattle and let him know that you are here and going into surgery and then we will get started." Dr. Shaw said walking away from Meredith as a nurse and two residents approached her.

"Wait!" Meredith called after him, wiping the tears from her face.

"Yes?" He asked turning around.

"I don't want them knowing about the abnormalities." Meredith said sternly.

"Of course." Dr. Shaw agreed.

Then it dawned on her, "Dr. Shaw? May I be the one to call Dr. Webber, he has been like a father to me, it would be good to hear his voice right now." Meredith said as she was being wheeled down the hall.

"Yes, yes absolutely." Dr. Shaw said pulling his cell phone from his pocket and handing it to this sweet young doctor.

Owen, Miranda, Richard, and Ben still stood on the rooftop of Seattle Grace waiting for Cristina to arrive, which should be any minute, when Richard's cell phone began to ring from his pocket.

Everyone turned to look at him as Richard pulled out the phone and anxiously answered. "Dr. Shaw?" He asked recognizing the number.

Then to Richard's surprise a voice that was so timid and quiet, yet brought so much joy to his heart responded, "No…this is Meredith." She said quietly.

"Meredith! Thank God!" Richard said tears escaping his eyes, and as he looked around him, he noticed essentially the same response from Bailey and Hunt.

"I…I just wanted to call you and let you know that I am safe. I'm headed to surgery pretty quickly though to repair my liver and bowel." Meredith said almost in a haze.

Immediately, Richard's face became serious. "How extensive is the damage?" He asked in his fatherly voice.

"I…I'll be fine don't worry about that, Dr. Shaw seems more than capable. I just wanted to…I wanted to hear your voice." Meredith said bursting into tears.

"Oh Meredith! We will get you home just as soon as possible, all of you will be home soon and we will take the best care of you! In fact Cristina should be arriving any minute now." Richard said trying to brighten the mood.

Then Meredith's sobbing got worse. Everything was coming down on her, it was all hitting her, the possibility of cancer wasn't even factored in yet it was just the trauma of everything that they had been through.

"Meredith breathe." Richard instructed. Miranda, Ben, and Owen looked on helplessly.

"We're not all coming back!" Meredith got out through the sobs.

It was then as Dr. Shaw watched that he retrieved the phone from Meredith and instructed his team to finish prepping her, this call was just causing her too much stress.

"Richard, it's James." Dr. Shaw said as he walked away from Meredith and headed towards his office.

"James, what's going on? What did she mean?" Richard asked nervously, Bailey eyeing him like a hawk.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Dr. Lexie Grey didn't make it." James said holding the phone with his shoulder and rubbing circles around his temples.

Richard almost dropped the phone, he let out an agonizing chortle, "Do you…do you have her there?" Richard asked doing his best to compose himself even though he was openly crying at this point.

"Yes, she is, she has a severe crush injury." Dr. Shaw said wanting to warn Richard before he saw the body.

The bile rose in Richards throat and he had to choke it back.

"I'm sending a plane out to get her like we did for Cristina, she needs to be home. I will personally pay whatever costs occur." Richard said letting himself slide down the wall to sit on the ground.

"Ok, we will have her ready. Now I really need to prep for Dr. Grey…I mean Meredith's surgery." James said unable to get the CT image of the adhesions on Meredith's colon out of his mind.

"You take care of her…she is like a daughter to me James….take care of her." Richard urged forcing himself to stand back up.

"I will Richard, I promise." James said before hanging up the phone.

"Richard what is it?" Owen promptly asked needing to know what was going on.

Richard cleared his throat as he stared off in the distance at the incoming chopper.

"Lexie didn't make it." He said simply, there really wasn't more to it than that except that there was…her mother had died a few years ago, she had almost been killed by a mad man a short time ago, she was a resident at this hospital, she was Thatcher's daughter, Derek's sister in-law, Mark's…something, Meredith's sister, and a damned fine doctor, friend, and woman at this hospital, so no there was nothing simple about the fact that Lexie Grey was dead.

Bailey let out a gasp and Ben immediately pulled her into his arms to try and offer her some comfort, Owen stared at Richard blankly, was this really happening?

It was then that all of their thoughts were interrupted by the chopper landing.

Owen ran out through the wind from the propellers to get his wife, he needed her so desperately right now.

Once they had unloaded Cristina, one look into Owen's eyes and he could tell that she needed him too, she was pretty well sedated but it was still there.

As they rushed her in, and were heading downstairs Richard although happy to see her, excused himself, he needed to drive to Meredith's house, he needed to break the news in person, he owed everyone that.

When Richard pulled up to the house, the lights were on in what seemed like every room, he could tell that there was a variety of activity going on in there.

As he approached the door he didn't bother knocking he just let himself in.

Callie was handing a large diaper bag to Addison and had a suitcase situated behind her…she had a flight scheduled to leave Sea-Tac in two hours for Spokane, she needed to get to her wife, and to Mark.

Carolyn was sitting on the floor playing with Sofia and Zola.

Alex sat in a corner with a drink in his hand silently brooding.

Jackson and April were in the kitchen preparing food.

Thatcher sat in a reclining chair staring off into space and fiddling with something on his lap.

As everyone looked up at Richard expectantly a grave air fell over the house, by the tear stains on his face they knew that they were about to get devastating news, it wasn't an easy thing to make Richard Webber cry.

Addison was the first to speak up… "Richard what is it?" She asked turning away from Callie.

Richard had to clear his throat again, he had to find the strength to say those words that he was used to saying so often in his career because it was out of his hands…"Thatcher…" He said walking over to sit by this man whom he had wronged in so many ways in the past.

Without another word Thatcher began to cry and shake… "Oh God!...Oh God…It's one of my girls…it's one of my girls isn't it?" Thatcher was trembling as he spoke.

If something happened to one of the Grey girls no matter which one it was it was going to be devastating,

"It's Lexie…she didn't make it. I'm so sorry Thatcher!" Richard said placing a hand on Thatcher's shoulder which was immediately shrugged off. "No…no! No! Not my baby! Not my Lexie!" Thatcher cried uncontrollably.

Everyone watched grief stricken. Alex took his glass and with all of his might threw it across the room causing it to shatter into a million different pieces.

"Alex!" Callie yelled, looking down at Zola and Sofia who were now crying. "I'm sorry…" Alex said a tear slipping down his face as he went to get the broom and dust pan.

Jackson let go of April's hand and supported himself against the door frame

April looked at him with her big doe eyes, not quite sure what to do or what to think.

Callie had tears in her eyes, and knew even more than before that she needed to get to Spokane for Mark.

Carolyn rocked Zola to soothe her, tears pricking her own eyes, thinking about that poor girl…and her daughter in law.

Addison picked up Sofia to try and comfort her.

And then out of nowhere Thatcher spoke up, his voice that of a completely broken man…"What about…What about Meredith…is there any word yet?" Thatcher asked he was devastated right now, but he had two daughters to think about right now.

"Oh…yes…I'm sorry…she is in Walla Walla, she's in surgery right now, she also had some pretty substantial injuries, lacerated liver, perforated bowel, concussion…I trust the doctor there though, he will take care of her." Richard said seriously.

Instinctively, Thatcher placed his hand over where his liver was, where part of Meredith's liver was.

Thatcher stood up and began to walk to the door… "I...I need a minute." He said breaking down again as he walked out the door and collapsed on the porch swing. "Lexie!" He cried out.

Addison had just put Zola and Sofia to bed in Zola's crib, and was just sitting down with a glass of wine, getting ready to call Jake so she could check on Henry and give him an update.

April and Jackson had been called back to the hospital, obviously Seattle Grace was short quite a few doctors right now. So gratefully they worked, glad to get their minds on something besides the crash, and…Lexie.

While Thatcher wanted to go home Richard wouldn't allow it, he told Thatcher that he needed to stay the night at Meredith's, he shouldn't be alone right now, they were both recovering alcoholics and each knew what would happen if Thatcher were left on his own, just look at what had happened after Susan's death.

Thatcher had been reluctant, but after calling Molly and breaking the news to her, he had agreed, he was physically and emotionally drained and all he longed for was sleep, so that in the morning he could wake up and have this all be some terrible nightmare.

Richard sat in a recliner in the house looking through a scrap book of Zola that Meredith had put together, he couldn't get the broken sound of his voice out of his head.

Bailey and Ben much like April and Jackson had been told that they were needed at the hospital, and so they too were on shift, despite everything that had happened.

Owen lay in bed with Cristina's sleeping form cradling her, once they had come to the conclusion that a majority of Cristina's injuries were superficial they gave her something to rest and she had been sleeping ever since. Owen just rubbed circles on her back, and quietly prayed that Cristina he couldn't lose her again.

Both Callie and Carolyn had taken the flight to Spokane, and had arrived a few hours ago.

Callie had Arizona and Mark moved into the same room so that she could be with both of them, Arizona was still unconscious from the anesthesia, so she lay in bed with Mark letting him weep into her arms as she held onto him tightly, he seemed just as broken as Thatcher was when she had left the house. It was going to take a long time for any of them to recover from this.

Carolyn sat by her sons side squeezing his hand and talking to him about how precious Zola was, when he started to come to. "Mom?" He asked as he forced his eyes to open into the searing light. "Yes my darling?" She said tears immediately coming to her eyes seeing her son awake…alive. Derek's throat was dry when he spoke, "Where's Meredith?" He asked hoarsely.

Carolyn looked at him with her big blue eyes, the last time she had called the hospital in Walla Walla Meredith was still in surgery, "It's ok Derek, she's in surgery." Carolyn responded squeezing his hand tighter.

"What?" Derek asked suddenly alert and attempting to sit up.

"Don't worry dear they are taking good care of her." Carolyn pushed Derek back down on the bed.

It wasn't going to go over well when she would need to break the news to Derek that Meredith was at a completely different hospital, but she would cross that bridge when she got to it.

Meredith was still in surgery, but after opening her up the adhesions on Meredith's colon were looking grim, Dr. Shaw cursed at their appearance as he took the biopsies. He had a sinking feeling about this young vibrant doctors impending health.


End file.
